Capital Weather Gang: June 20, 2010 - June 26, 2010

Yesterday's brief, subtle drop in humidity is history. Today is sticky once again and tomorrow and Monday turn downright sultry - similar to Thursday. Through yesterday, we've tallied seven straight days of 90+ and we'll extend the streak to 10 by Monday. Also of interest: 6 out of 6 weekend days have reached 90 or higher so far this month and it looks like we'll close out the month 8/8. When's the relief coming? Tuesday.

* Our Full Forecast | Weather Wall | Nationals Journal * Nationals at OriolesSaturday June 26, 4:05 p.m., Camden Yards First Pitch9th InningWeatherChance of RainLow 90sUpper 80sHot/humid20%Quite a sticky afternoon for these local teams. Can't rule out a brief thunderstorm. NatCast appears on the day of every Nationals home...

Wx and the City * Hot stuff back for weekend: Full Forecast | Nats-Orioles weather * * Yesterday's record highs | Heat chat transcript | Crime Scene blog * Most of us remember the silence on the streets of D.C. and Baltimore during Snowmageddon. Few walked. Few drove. Few ventured...

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but "get out and enjoy" highs around 90 today? It will be a very brief break from the crazy heat that's been with us since a week ago. Mother Nature refuses to give us any greater reprieve, with highs well into the 90s again this weekend and possibly Monday too. Air quality will suffer as a result. Drink that water and put on the sunscreen as summer continues to sizzle.

Triple-digit heat at National and BWI; "Cooler" tomorrow * Beyond the BP spill | June heat threatens D.C. record * * Outside now? Radar, lightning, temps & more: Weather Wall * Record highs have been set today at all major local airports as temperatures hit the upper 90s to near...

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the D.C. metro area until 8 p.m. This is not unexpected, as an approaching cold front has combined with high heat and humidity to create an unstable atmosphere. From NWS...
HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

There's no question that BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unmitigated disaster of yet unknown societal and economic proportions, not to mention the possibly irreparable damage to coastal and marine ecosystems. According to government estimates, as of yesterday anywhere from 39 million to 111 million gallons of crude oil has gushed into the Gulf of Mexico (that excludes captured oil). Most officials lean toward the higher totals while noting up to 2.5 million gallons more continue to spill each day -- that's an Exxon Valdez spill (nearly 11 million gallons total) about every four days.
Yet, while this oil spill and others before it have dominated the news, according to a 2003 National Research Council (NRC) report, at least 375 million gallons of oil end up in the world's oceans virtually unnoticed every year from natural sources and from human activities associated with the extraction, transportation and use of oil.

Let's get this up front; I have very little good news in this forecast. The only break in the heat and humidity comes on Friday and it is fleeting. Rain for the gardeners in town will be very hard to come by. The only thing we might have to show for it is a possible new record high (current record 98) for the date. If National Airport were to hit 100, it would be the first time in triple digits since August 8, 2007.

Our second day in a row with temperatures rising above 95, combined with heat indices around or past 100, is not feeling too swell. But, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel once we get past another scorcher tomorrow and follow-up, hopefully lesser, heat into and through the weekend. Then again, as some will claim: It's D.C., it's summer and it's almost always hot.

There are at least several ways of examining both June 2010's heat and the heat we have seen for whole warm season thus far. The metrics examined here will largely pertain to June's heat in the context of meteorological summer.

Welcome to day 5 of this June heat wave. Friday was the last time the high at Reagan National failed to top 90, and highs may very well continue at or above 90 straight through the weekend, with Friday presenting the best hope for breaking the streak. In additon to being slightly cooler, Friday may also give us somewhat of a break in the humidity. But it's short-lived relief as heat and humidity build again this weekend. When's the best chance for a thunderstorm? Let's get to the details...

Not a good day for a day game... Afternoon temps should be peaking in the mid-90s around first pitch, with the heat index in the upper 90s to near 100. Drink water and take breaks in the shade. There's just a slight chance of a storm. If it happens (not too likely), I bet few will complain.

How 'bout them heat indices? Highs reaching the low-and-mid 90s many spots this afternoon are mixing with increasing levels of humidity to help the "feels like" factor rise up to right around 100-degrees! Now we hope for a storm to cool us down at least a bit.

Summer is off to a hot start -- not just in the Washington area, but also in the Far North, where if recent trends continue, Arctic sea ice could reach a new record low that surpasses the foreboding milestone set in 2007. (That's a pretty big if, however). The recent sharp declines are consistent with a world that is warming unevenly, with the Arctic experiencing about twice the rate of warming in the past several decades as the lower-48 states, for example.

Spring 2010 was the warmest on record and summer has arrived fast and furious. Last year, June only saw two days at or above 90 degrees. Already this June, we've done it ten times, and we should probably do it the rest of this week. This hotter weather increases the evaporation rate too, so our drying trends continue. On the other hand, the higher humidity gives us chances for storms occasionally through this week and weekend. But widespread heavy precipitation seems unlikely.

* Our Full Forecast | Weather Wall | Nationals Journal * Nationals vs. RoyalsToday, 7:05 p.m., Nationals Park First Pitch9th InningWeatherChance of Rain9084Scattered clouds.20%Muggy heat will greet the teams tonight and there is the outside risk of a thunderstorm. NatCast appears on the day of every Nationals home game....

The first day of summer has brought with it our second official (3 days 90+ or more) heat wave of the season. And you better like it, because we'll be adding at least a handful more days to this streak it would appear. Highs reaching near 90 and into the lower 90s this afternoon are a touch cooler than yesterday but still above normal for this time of year. The outlook for the rest of the week varies between hot and really hot with just a few opportunities for cooling showers and storms.

Before there was global warming, there were the dust bowl years of the 1930s, also known as "The Dirty Thirties." The record-setting heat waves and drought of the 1930s occurred during the middle of the Great Depression and contributed to the economic hardship felt throughout the nation. It also occurred when most people did not have the comfort of air conditioning and many heat-related deaths were reported. Two years during that decade were particularly hot for our region, 1930 and 1936. Those two years set heat records in Washington which still stand today.

As hot as it's been over the last several weeks, it's hard to believe that today is just the first official day of summer. And if the week ahead is any indication, it's going to be a loooong summer. Every day, chances are good we reach 90 or higher, with 95+ possible midweek. Hit-or-miss late day storms, entering the picture starting tomorrow, offer little relief, as the heat just keeps reloading after any temporary breaks.

"Official" summer begins tomorrow, but we've already had over a week's worth of 90+ days this June already, not to mention a handful in April/May. We'll definitely add to those totals this week as we could see nearly a week straight of day time highs at or above the 90 mark. Early on, a weak front knocks down the humidity a peg or two. But by mid-week, the stickiness returns, and so do thunderstorm chances in the afternoons.